Acetaldehyde and Anabuse Acetaldehyde, Also

Acetaldehyde and Anabuse Acetaldehyde, also called ethanol, is an organic chemical compound. Its chemical formula is CH3CHO, oftentimes chemically abbreviated as MeCHO (ME= methyl). It is one of the more important aldehydes, occurring robustly in nature and man-made on a large scale. In nature, it occurs in coffee, bread, and ripe fruit; and in most plants is part of their normal metabolic processes. In humans, it is produces by the oxidation of ethylene and is part of the reasons humans get hangovers with too heavy alcohol consumption (Perry).

Commercially, the production of acetaldehyde is done through the Wacker process, a homogeneous extraction process that produces acetaldehyde by oxidizing ethylene: Chapter 2 = Chapter 2 + 02 2 CH3CHO In the human liver, the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase oxidizes ethanol into acetaldehyde, which then, through additional oxidation, becomes ascetic acid by acetaldehyde. In the brain, alcohol dehydrogenase has a minor role in the oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde Chemical Summary for Acetaldehyde).

When acetaldehyde is injected in alcoholic protects, it binds to proteins to form DNA adducts that are often linked to organ (particularly the liver and pancreas) disease (Nakamura, et.al.). Anabuse, or Disulfiram, blocks the reaction of alcohol to acetaldehyde to harmless acetic acid, increasing the amount of acetaldehyde in the blood 5 to 10 times. Since it is the acetaldehyde that tends to cause the overt symptoms of a hangover, having disulfiram in one's system produces a severe reaction to alcohol intake.

It is also used in the treatment of Giardia, scabies, Trichomona vaginalis, and even some cancers. It has also been found to be effective in cocaine treatment since it prevents the breakdown of dopamine, the neurotransmitter that cocaine stimulates (Wright and Moore; Disulfiram). Disulfiram has a half-life of 60-120 hours, and has a chemical formula of C10H20N2S4. The compound was originally tested to provide a remedy for parasitic infections, but researchers testing the substance on themselves reported severe and negative symptoms after consuming alcohol (Ruiz, et.al.

477-8). If there is disulfiram in the patient's system, it takes about 5-10 minutes for the effects of the drug to form the outward symptoms of a severe hangover. These symptoms last from 30 minutes to several hours, and may include flushing, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, throbbing headaches, mental confusion and even circulatory collapse. There is no known tolerance to the drug, the longer it is taken, the stronger the effects.

Because of its molecular make up, it is absorbed slowly through the digestive tract with the effects lasting up to two weeks after the initial doses. This makes the issue of informed consent very important for this substance (Wright and Moore). The efficacy of the drug is debatable. On one hand, the biological and chemical effects of are proven. One study showed that there is about a 50% compliance rate in a supervised atmosphere, but only 20% when unsupervised. This resulted in the.